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House of Dogsford
The House of Dogsford is a minor noble family in the Kingdom of Azeroth, granted the guardianship of a now dissolved Barony in the Black Morass under the Margrave of the East. Their fortunes have since declined to such a marked degree that many believe the family to have been cursed by some sinister forces, with only one member holding a landed title as a custodial tenant of Baron Eadric Ridout. They are particularly known for the unfortunate deformities that have plagued their bloodline for centuries, beginning with the marriage of Sir Isaiah de Dogsford to Natalie de Leifeld in 280KY. Cleft lips, deafness, and an inability to feel pain are particularly common among the House of Dogsford, and as a result they are well known for their close association with the Clerics of Northshire, whose magical healing is often vital to the wellbeing of the family's scions. Notable Individuals *Isaiah de Dogsford, Knight and heir to the Barony of Mossberg. His marriage to the House of Leifeld in 280KY secured a significant alliance for the family, but at the cost of introducing the congenital deformities that plague the family to this day. Peculiarly, neither Isaiah nor Natalie's parents or grandparents displayed any such infirmities, and the House of Leifeld has been almost entirely free thereof. Of his four children, one was stillborn, one died shortly after birth, and a third - Lawrence, the youngest - died in mysterious circumstances at the age of eight. *Elias de Dogsford, 3rd Baron of Mossberg. The only one of Isaiah's children to survive childhood, Elias was the first Dogsford to exhibit the family's strange inability to feel pain. Contrary to the hopes of his father and himself, this did not in fact make him the perfect Knight, and instead ruled out a martial career for the young Elias. This was illustrated in an incident in 294KY, where the young Elias slipped on the stairs and broke his leg, rose back up, and continued walking. This resulted in severely aggravated damage and only by the intervention of a Northshire Cleric did he survive the subsequent infection, though he was never able to walk without support again. This congenital analgia has plagued nearly every generation of the family since, including the famed Sir Adam, the Knight of Iron. *Jarod de Dogsford, 5th Baron of Mossberg. Born to Isaiah the Second, Jarod was named for his uncle who died in 319KY, the same year of his birth. Unafflicted by the familial analgia, Jarod was nonetheless unable to find a mentor and Knight willing to train him in combat and instead was sent to study at the Old University of Stormwind at the young age of fifteen. Finishing his studies of the liberal arts and sciences just in time for his father's death in 338KY, Jarod made the unusual decision to have his common-born mother, Mary Hillman, serve as his regent in adulthood for the six years necessary for his pursuit of a master's degree in history, which he obtained on schedule. He returned home the only survivor of his siblings, assumed control of the Barony of Mossberg, and soon married a Highlands-born minor noble, Reina Jonsdottir. Reina possessed a keen mind for numbers and for history herself, and having herself studied under the old masters of Stromgarde, was able to communicate effectively in writing and in a limited form of sign language despite her deafness. The reign of the pair proved to be prosperous, with their appreciation for history aiding them in surviving the turmoil that followed the Cataclysm of 363 late in Jarod's reign. Reina's death in 376 at the age of 65 was swiftly followed by Jarod's. With no surviving children, the title passed to their grandson, Hiram de Dogsford - or as he is more commonly named, Hiram the Awesome. *Hiram the Awesome, 6th Baron of Mossberg. The grandson of Jarod de Dogsford was already fifteen at the time of his grandfather's death and his rise to the title of Baron. Suffering from analgia and hard of hearing, though not completely deaf, Hiram nonetheless went on to great infamy in the swamps of the Eastmark. Beginning in 381, he served as the chief enforcer of the cruel and secret dictates of Margrave Alfred Wert. He was entrusted with the secret killing and disposal of many of the Margrave's enemies in the territory, including his younger brother and rival claimant. His cruelty swiftly became a common part of life in Mossberg as well, with his 'Black Dogs' enforcing loyalty with public executions, torture, and disappearances. This is the source of his epithet - one that often causes confusion among the young - as the name of Hiram de Dogsford inspired a very great deal of terrified awe. His presence demanded obedience to commands, be they his own or the Margrave's, and the sublimation of the will. Hiram was also a reviled figure among the trolls of the deepest swamps for his involvement in the Margrave's campaign to root out their secret settlements and temples, during which he was charged with making public display of captured troll warriors - a task for which he drew on the extensive historical library left to him by his parents. The cruelest tortures developed by the tribes of the Highlands for their ancient enemies were revived, millennia and thousands of miles distant from their original context. Fortunately for the Eastmark and for Mossberg in particular, he was promptly executed by Alfred's successor, Sir Timothy Roth, for 'crimes too vile to list in decent company' following Alfred's removal from power by the House of Wrynn. Sir Adam de Dogsford, the Knight of Iron One of the only Dogsfords to succesfully take up arms despite the family's weaknesses, Sir Adam was born in 560KY to Baroness Adrienne de Dogsford, a former Northshire Cleric. His analgia manifested early in infancy - usually disastrous among the family - and Adam survived through his mother's tireless efforts and care. In time, he thrived, and against all reccomendations took up the sword to practice at the age of ten. No Knight would have him in their service for his family's reputation as cursed, save for the unfortunate Sir Blake de Ridout, himself afflicted by leprosy after his own Knighthood. Under his tutelage, Adam grew strong, resilient, and most importantly, fully trained in the rigorous inspections for injury that allowed Sir Blake to remain active despite his condition. His skills developed rapidly with sword, shield and lance, and following his blooding against a Gnoll warband in 581KY, he was himself Knighted. Unfortunately, his mentor and friend did not survive the battle. Sir Blake left much of his wealth to the young Knight, however, along with his extensive collection of medicines and medicinal texts - and the rights to a small manor, usually afforded to the second son of the Ridout rulers. With his new wealth and title, Adam brokered a contract with the Clerics of Northshire to have three of their own follow him and ensure his health and wellbeing to the best of their ability - an arrangement that proved crucial in the First War, where Adam fought in some of the earliest engagements. The Barony of Mossberg lay in the Eastmark, the province of the Black Morass and the Swamp of Sorrows and the other, lesser wetlands, and was the first site of Orcs and Humans meeting. The three Clerics at Adam's side saw first hand the face and nature of the enemy and sent word to the Abbey to prepare, to lay in medicines and pick-up the training of brethren in summoning divine wrath and entreating divine aid. The bloody First War had begun with brief but brutal skirmishes, and these learned minds feared for what was yet to come. Brothers Gates, Wert and Enfield remained with Adam throughout the First War, with Brother Gates taking up the stole and the hammer in the Second. It was also during this time that Adam married a common woman named Rebecca, without a known last name. In the early days of the war, the two wed and their first child was born: Brom. Unfortunately, the sickly child did not survive the week and was buried at Northshire Abbey. Adam did not live to see his second child, Eric, born in the aftermath of the Fall of the Kingdom, having sacrificed his life to hold the Horde back from the refugees fleeing to the ships. He is today honoured with a small statue in the Royal Palace of Stormwind City for his bravery and loyalty, and his name is inscribed on the great memorial at Stone Caern Lake. Brother Enfield, now a retiree and convert to the Light, has since gone on to teach about analgia and its potential treatments at the Old University of Stormwind, and has dedicated his exhaustive tome on the subject - Injury Without Pain - to the late Sir Adam. Category:House of Dogsford Category:House of Leifeld Category:Stormwind Peerage Category:Eastmark Category:Swamp of Sorrows